Only Words
by NovemberMurray
Summary: It's surprisingly hard to tell the people closest to us the important things: what we fear, what we love, what we regret, what we wish was different...But sometimes what we need most are the things we want least. A series of conversations that might have changed the plot. Starts after Ahsoka's banishment and my AU rewrite of Lawless: Lawful. Anakin/Padme (minor Obi-Wan/Satine)
1. Conversation i

Author's Note: This fic will be a series of conversation that change Anakin and Obi-Wan's relationship from the cannon. It follows my rewrite of Lawless (if you don't feel like reading that you don't have to, but it explains why Satine's there and alive). I'm exploring what might have happened if there were fewer secrets and more communication, oh and if people realized how fucked up the Council was. -Ember

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Only Words by November Murray

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_Conversation I: Keep Him_

"Is there nothing the Jedi Council can do?" Satine asked her old friend. Obi-Wan just bowed his head.

"But isn't that the job of the Council?" Senator Amidala asked as she entered the airy living room over her apartment, C3PO shuffled behind her with a try of refreshments. "Mandalore is asking for humanitarian aid and help ending this civil war. The Jedi's mandate is to protect peace."

"I agree with you," Obi-Wan said solemnly, "but the war takes precedence right now. The Council cannot suggest sending troops or Jedi to Mandalore, a neutral system, unless the acting Prime Minister asks for it."

"But he's nothing but a corrupt pawn of the Death Watch," Satine said adamantly.

"I know that but the fact remains that the he appears the sovereign ruler supported by the people and the Republic can not choose which deposed rulers they support and which they ignore. They must treat every case the same." Obi-Wan said mechanically.

"But Almec doesn't have the support of the people, if he did then there wouldn't be a civil war!"

"I know, my dear," Obi-Wan said tiredly.

"How can they do this? What about the Sith? Doesn't the Council care that the Sith put this mob of murderers in power?"

"They do but Maul has disappeared and with Savage dead the Council feels that we have more pressing issues."

"Like leading the war?"

"Yes." Obi-Wan said with an exhausted sigh.

"This is ridiculous," Satine cried out and stood quickly, folding her arms and walking to the large open windows. Her shoulders shook silently as her blond head bowed. The Senator and Jedi shared glances, the former encouraging and the later worried. Obi-Wan gave in and stood as well. Moving to stand behind Satine, he put a hand on her shoulder compassionately.

"I'm sorry, Satine. I've done everything I can to convince the Council but I'm only one voice."

She nodded, lip between her teeth and eyes focused far away. "I know, Obi. I just hate feeling helpless."

"I know." He had to look away from her face because he could see her heart breaking. She was losing what she'd given everything, her life, her love, her future… and it was all being torn down by corruption and war. Her people were suffering and she felt it as if it were her own pain. It brought anger broiling up in Obi-Wan's usual calm. Satine was the last person who deserved that.

"You should rest," he said softly. "It's been a long day."

As proof of her breaking spirit Satine only nodded meekly.

"Tomorrow is another day," he said, but it sounded weak even in his own ears. Still she managed to give him a small smile and reached one of her pale slender hands up to grip his on her shoulder. Obi-Wan was suddenly struck with the urge to pull her closer, hold her and comfort her physically where he could not comfort her with assurances.

But he didn't. He stood still before the window as Satine drifted to guest room that had become her home on Coruscant. The door closed with a soft click and he was left alone with Padme. She approached him after a long silence and offered him a drink.

"Thank you."

"No, thank you for coming. I though she could use some support after…" she left the words hanging, unsure how to describe their day in the Senate. Neither of them wanted to say the word failure, because failure carried with it a finality none of them were willing to accept.

"I would have come anyway," Obi-Wan said truthfully. The Council had delivered their opinions on the Mandalore situation in the senate, impersonally and without regard for the fallen Duchess. He felt an obligation as part of that Council to deliver the verdict more personally.

"Will the council really do nothing?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid that is their final decision."

Amidala shook her head, "I can understand why Anakin gets so frustrated with them."

"Yes," Obi-Wan's eyes strayed to the closed doors of the guest bedroom, "so can I sometimes and I'm a member of the council."

"Do they not value your opinions and experience in this matter?"

"They do." Obi-Wan said quickly.

"It doesn't seem like it."

"The Council has suffered because of this war with so many seats changing in recent times." Though if Obi-Wan were honest he would have to say that council hadn't changed that much since the start of the clone wars. The newer members were often overshadowed by those senior ones and decisions were often made so quickly that it was easier to accept the opinions of the louder voices.

"The Jedi order seems to have changed a lot since the war began."

Obi-Wan chose to remain silent.

"Do you think it can return, after the war, to the way it was?" She questioned.

"Do you think the Senate can?"

"I have to believe so."

"And if it doesn't?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Then I must believe that there are people strong enough to resist the change and that democracy will prevail," her usually steady voice wavered. Obi-Wan could sense that she was doubtful of her own words.

"How have things gotten to this point?" He asked himself. The once resolute Queen with her unyielding faith in the self-government of people was shaken. The outspoken pacifist Duchess who had stood in front of blasters and cannons for her people was now a broken hearted voice ignored amid the shouts and war cries of the Senate. Obi-Wan shook his head and his shoulders slumped.

"This war will end," Padme said, only slightly more confidant, "it has to end."

"But at what cost?" Obi-Wan asked thinking of Ahsoka. She had left shrouded in uncertainty and turmoil, teetering on the edge of the dark and light. Her departure had left her master no better. Not for the first time Obi-Wan worried that surrounded by death as Anakin was that the dark side would grow in him and gain a foothold. If it did, would Obi-Wan be able to bring his former padewan back to the light? At one point he might wouldn't have questioned that, now he was not so sure.

"The war has caused many people to look at their values again, I've seen it turn some of my colleges into better people."

Looking at Padme as she spoke an idea came to Obi-Wan. Though he might not be able to reach Anakin as he once believed he could, perhaps there was someone else who could.

"And what if the war turns good people into something bad, something you don't recognize?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Padme suddenly got uncomfortable.

"The war is having an effect on the Order, on all the Jedi," Obi-Wan kept his gaze level on her. "Satine accused us of no longer being Peacekeepers and she's right, we've become Generals and soldiers. What if we've seen too much death and war to go back?"

"I don't believe that."

"You know Anakin better than anyone, can you truly say the war isn't changing him?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Anakin and I are just friends."

"I would appreciate it if you both stopped treating me like a blind fool. I can tell how attached he is to you."

Padme went pale and swallowed thickly under his steady gaze. "The Jedi Code forbids attachments."

"_The Council _forbids attachments and you know we have both disobeyed the Council on many occasions." His thoughts strayed back to Satine, he had gone against the council to save her and his only regret was that it biased them against her, even if none of them would admit it.

Padme took a deep sigh and turned away. She went back to her seat on the couch with slumped shoulders. Obi-Wan followed, sitting next to her.

"How long?" He asked. She glanced up at him then away.

"You remember that day, after we returned from Geonosis, you came to see me."

"I demanded that you end your relationship with Anakin and you asked to do so on your return to Naboo."

"Yes."

"That long ago?"

"We went back to the lake country where we stayed before. On the lake shore we were married by a Pontifex of the Brotherhood of Cognizance." Obi-Wan's jaw dropped just a little. He'd suspected the relationship between Anakin and the Senator but for them to make their disobedience official and be married was a shock to him. "I have never regretted marrying Anakin," Padme told him, her voice clear. "I love him."

Obi-Wan had to turn away. His mind was reeling at the magnitude of what he had overlooked. Anakin was not only attached to Padme but he had made vows in direct conflict with his vows to the Order. That was very hard to overlook, even for him. Lately he'd disagreed with the council's decisions, even if he understood why they were made. That was different from failing his vows as a Jedi.

"Will you turn him in?" Padme's voice wavered with worry for her husband. Obi-Wan frowned. He looked back at her, sitting on the long couch, hands clasped together and lip between her teeth. He had a duty to the council but he also had a duty to Anakin. More than any of that he had a duty to the Republic and the truth was that they needed Anakin fighting this war, if they didn't they would have pulled him off the front lines long ago.

"No," Obi-Wan shook his head. "I won't." Walking back and sitting down next to her he continued, taking her hands in his own and imploring her. "But, Padme, you must promise me that you will be careful. This war his taking a toll on all of us, Anakin included. He's volatile and rash but right now his heart is in the right place. _Keep it there." _He gripped her hands. "And promise you'll come to me if you are ever worried about him. I can help you, both of you." He could see in her eyes she wanted to believe. Something, probably a small voice that sounded like Anakin, held her back. Only time would earn that trust. That was the one thing they might not have.

Why did I wait this long, Obi-Wan chastised himself even as he released the Senator's hands. Obi-Wan stood, letting her know silently she didn't have to answer yet. He strode to the door with heavy strides. There he stopped.

"I can see why he loves you, Padme Amidala," Obi-Wan's voice made the Senator look up from her hands clasped in her lap. "I'm sorry if I have failed him." Her lips tightened into a pained echo of a smile before he closed the door and was gone.

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Authors Note: So this story will have pretty short chapters, which is strange for me. Hope you like them anyway. Leave a review or a message with your comments or suggestions. Be nice please. -Ember


	2. Conversation ii

Author's Note: So, I read the wiki… a lot… like I love wikis. I seriously do. I'm addicted to the wiki and trivia and generally indulging my obsessive tendencies (can tendencies still be the right word? I don't know) Anyway. There is a character in the expanded universe, Siri Tachi, from a book(?) that I have not read but she gets some mentions here. Sorry if I f it up.

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_Conversation II: An Open Heart_

Anakin was two steps back from the doorway, hands twitching at his side and shoulders tense when Obi-Wan opened the door to his quarters on the Star Cruiser.

"I thought you'd come by," Obi-Wan said nonchalant. "Come on in." Anakin remained standing in the hallway, frowning and searching his old master's unreadable face with his eyes. Then he relented and entered the small sparse cabin. Obi-Wan closed and locked the door before returning to his seat at the small table bolted to the wall. He picked up the comm that was lying there and flicked it on. The holographic image of Satine Kryze appeared looking patient and questioning.

"Apologies, my dear, it's Anakin," Obi-Wan told her.

The former Duchess nodded and said, "I'm sure you have lot's to talk about." She cut the transmission and her transparent blue figure disappeared. Obi-Wan dropped the comm device and leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh. Anakin remained standing in the middle of the room awkwardly, still tense and his hands fisting and releasing nervously.

"Are you going to sit down or are we going to have this conversation standing. I don't know about you but I'm exhausted." Obi-Wan rubbed a hand over his face. "This damn war just never seems to end. It would be nice to at least feel like we're making progress for a change."

"How long have you known?" Anakin cut right to the chase and Obi-Wan couldn't blame him. Hours ago they had been in a messy spot, caught between a rock and a hard place. It didn't help that Anakin was too worked up and head strong to be of any help. So Obi-Wan had done the one thing he thought might snap his former apprentice into form. He'd bodily dragged Anakin off the bridge and hissed in his ear, "Calm down! What would your wife say if she could see you now? For her sake, pull yourself together!" And thirty seconds later Anakin had come up with a daring and reckless but ultimately successful plan that got their badly damaged cruiser, her crew, and the crew of their escort to safety. Now though, the battle done and the danger passed, Obi-Wan had to deal with the aftermath of revealing his knowledge of Anakin and Padme's secret marriage.

"Since we deployed."

"Three weeks? You've known for the better part of a month and said nothing, not to me or the council or… anyone?"

"No. I haven't even told Satine but I'm fairly sure she knows."

"Why?"

"Why haven't I told Satine? I didn't think it was my place."

"Master."

"Why didn't I tell the Council?" Obi-Wan hesitated before answering his own question. "I didn't think it was the right thing to do."

"For who?"

"Take your pick," Obi-Wan made an all-encompassing gesture. "You've been married for more than two years and I only suspected you were having an infrequent affair so clearly it's not harming your performance as a Jedi. Turning you in would only cause a scandal in the Order and we don't need that. Getting you taken out of the war would be bad for morale and bad for the Republic."

"You make it sound so easy."

"Oh, it wasn't," Obi-Wan said bitterly. "You broke my trust, the trust of the Council and your vows to the Republic."

"I have never broken any vow, not to Padme and not to the Republic."

"You vowed to obey the Council, for better or for worse." Obi-Wan shot back.

"As if you've never disobeyed the Council when you thought they were wrong."

Obi-Wan swallowed, that he couldn't deny. The cabin became eerily silent as each man looked at the floor, lost in his own thoughts. Obi-Wan's drifted back to Satine, perhaps his greatest and most blatant defiance of the Council.

"Thank you, Master." Anakin's voice made Obi-Wan look up. The younger man met his eyes briefly then turned his gaze back to the floor, "for not turning me in."

"Just don't let it be your undoing."

"Master?"

"Love is a powerful emotion. The Council has it's reasons for forbidding attachment. Love leads us to fear of loss and anger because of loss, natural emotions all of them, but they can lead to the dark side. Qui-Gon tried to explain that to me years ago, but I wasn't ready to listen then."

Anakin slowly sat on the edge of Obi-Wan's bunk, hands clasped between his knees. "Master Qui-Gon?"

"Yes. He…" Obi-Wan swallowed visibly. "You remember Master Siri Tachi." It wasn't a question. Anakin just nodded and remained silent. At the time of Siri's death he had wondered if there had been more of a relationship between his master and the blonde Jedi.

"When Siri and I were young, still Padewans, we fell in love." Anakin's brow furrowed but he didn't interrupt his master as he continued, "Qui-Gon and Yoda spoke to us then, urged us to put aside our feeling and warned us of where it might lead. I… I had seen Qui-Gon after Master Tahl's death… you would not have recognized him."

Anakin was silent, trying to picture the man he remembered from his childhood, the embodiment of the Jedi Order and virtues falling to the Dark Side.

"Do you understand what I'm saying, Anakin?"

The younger man looked down at his hands and turned them over as he frowned. Obi-Wan held back a sigh and waited patiently. Finally Anakin shook his head.

"I don't believe you, Master."

"You don't believe that love can lead you to the Dark Side?"

"No, I don't believe you truly loved her." If Anakin has been looking, he would have seen how the words hit Obi-Wan, like a physical blow. His face froze, breath caught in his chest as he fought with a sudden irrational surge of anger. Anakin was just still shaking his head. Obi-Wan had his face under control again by the time Anakin lifted his and continued, "If you did then why not kill him, that bounty hunter scum? You could have? Instead you just turned him over like he was another common criminal."

"Magus was punished for his crimes," Obi-Wan said mechanically.

"You see. How can you say you loved her and then sit here and tell me you didn't want to slit his throat?" Anakin demanded.

"Enough!" Obi-Wan's hand smacked painfully on the table and the loud noise echoed in the enclosed metal room. He stood up and paced across the room, arms folded. "I did want to kill him and you're right, I could have, but unlike you, Anakin, I think of people other than myself! I loved Siri and I don't give a _shebs be hut'uun_ what you think. I didn't kill that waste of breath because if I had I would no longer be the man she loved." Obi-Wan ground his teeth and gripped his arms, fighting the heat of anger and old pain in his chest. His voice thick and breaking he asked, "What kind of legacy would that be? She dedicated her life to the Code, just as I have. To make her legacy my fall from the light… that would kill her twice." Obi-Wan shook his head, eyes glistening. Those words he'd told himself after her death but never said aloud hung heavy in the air of the small metal room.

"Obi-Wan—" Anakin, rose from the bed, hand outstretched but he was cut off.

"Get out!" Obi-Wan didn't look at his student to see him flinch but said more kindly, "leave, please, before I say something I will regret."

"Yes, Master," Anakin said softly as he walked toward the door, pausing in the open frame he glanced over his shoulder worriedly at the figure inside, standing facing the gray wall, shoulders hunched and head hanging. "I'm sorry, Master," Anakin said for what it was worth. The door closed and Obi-Wan was alone with his grief.

He breathed deeply of the stagnant metallic tasting air of the cruiser. Obi-Wan ran a hand over his face and looked up at the close ceiling, eyes focused far away. He remembered Siri, her bright smile and vitality. He knew she had lived a full life of duty and honor and died with no regrets just as he had no regrets. Before he'd learned of Anakin's marriage he'd never wondered what might have been between them, accepting whole heartedly that he had made the right choices.

Obi-Wan sat back in his chair at the small desk and stroked his bearded chin in thought. Anakin made him examine new possibilities. Maybe a Jedi could have attachments that did not hinder their commitment, perhaps attachments that even helped them. Could Jedi love with open hearts and deal with their grief openly instead of hiding it away behind denials of their natural feelings? Could it be so wrong to want to be connected to the world and the living Force? Didn't the Jedi use their connections to people and the world, their compassion to draw on the Force?

Obi-Wan shook his head. He picked up the hollo comm on the table and turned it on. Moments later Satine appeared, looking curious. Seeing his face she frowned.

"It would seem your conversation with Anakin did not go very well."

"No," Obi-Wan said, not bothering to keep the exhaustion of the already taxing day and strong emotions out of his voice.

"Do you want to talk about it," She asked, moving in the hollo to a chair and sitting patiently.

"No." He answered honestly, perhaps another time. Eventually he would have to tell her… about Siri… about Qui-Gon… about Anakin and Padme… but not then. "I'd rather hear about your meeting with the Chancellor."

"It was as unproductive as the last one."

"Tell me anyway, I need something else to think about."

Satine smiled understandingly in the Hollo and nodded. Obi-Wan leaned in to listen and let his anger at Anakin, his grief for Siri and his nagging questions fall away for a while. He just listened to Satine talk and plan, her soft voice undulating and soothing even as she ranted. After the day he'd had, it was a welcome escape.

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Author's Note: _shebs be hut'uun _means a coward's ass in Mandalorian (Mando'a). Coward is about the worst insult Mandalorians have (they don't seem to care much who your parents were) and I'm assuming Obi-Wan picked up some colorful words from the Clones. (Some elite clones were trained by Mandalorians and elements of their culture filtered down through the ranks (at least among the Kaminonan Clones.).) TLDR; it's cursing.


	3. Conversation iii

_Conversation III: A Mother's Legacy_

Obi-Wan was meditating before he retired for the night when he felt his apprentice approaching through the Force. Anakin left waves in the Force that worried his former master. The abrupt and rapid knock made Obi-Wan jump even though he knew it was coming. He hesitated for a moment at the door, collecting himself. He and Anakin had not spoken except in necessity since their conversation on the Star Cruiser. Obi-Wan opened the door, unsure of what exactly to expect.

Anakin's shoulders were hunched, his eyes were red rimmed and his hair was tangled. He held his lightsaber in his hands gingerly, almost reverently.

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Master," Anakin's voice was softer than usual, resigned. "I—" He hand trouble getting the words out so he simply raised the lightsaber, offering it to Obi-Wan. Slightly dumbstruck and at a loss Obi-Wan took the familiar weapon.

"I'm leaving the Order."

"What?" Obi-Wan nearly dropped the lightsaber which was suddenly too heavy in his hand. "Anakin!"

"Don't try to talk me out of it, Master."

"I—I wouldn't… Why?" Obi-Wan was still holding the lightsaber outstretched, unaccepting. "If this is about Padme, Anakin, at least talk to me—"

"It's not." Anakin said quickly and wrung his hands together, looking down at the saber with remorse, for what Obi-Wan couldn't tell. "I've… done things, Master, things that can not be forgiven and… I can't stay."

"Anakin, please."

"Don't, Master."

"Anakin. At least talk to me about this before you take it to the Council."

"I—I don't know if I can, Master."

"I promise that what ever you say will stay between us and afterward I will support you, no mater what you choose." Anakin seemed to be swayed by his words and wavered, eyes darting between the end of the hall, Obi-Wan and the lightsaber in his former Master's hand.

"Not here," Anakin said finally, defeated.

"Fair enough," Obi-Wan accepted with a nod. He clipped his own lightsaber to his belt and slipped Anakin's into his robes before they left.

.

Dex's Diner was closed at that time of night, but the Force was something of a universal key. Obi-Wan and Anakin entered just as Hermione was pulling on her jacket.

"I thought I locked that," she said and came out of the kitchen. "We're closed," She started to say before catching sight of the Jedi robes.

"Dex! There are two Jedi here to see you."

"Jedi?" The four armed baslisk came around behind her, rubbing one pair of hands on his dirty apron and using the other to pull up his pants. "Obi-Wan!" The cook cried happily when he caught sight of the bearded Jedi. "You here with a good story or just for the cooking? The stoves still cooling down, I'll get it back up in a minute. And you brought little Ani, not so little anymore."

"I'll leave this one to you, Dex," Hermione said with an exhausted expression.

"Of course, go home, see you tomorrow," He called to the waitress.

"Just food and a quiet place to talk tonight, Dex," Obi-Wan told his old friend.

"You're always welcome here," the baslisk said. "I'll get you some steaks and wedges before I head out."

"Thank you, Dex."

Obi-Wan and Anakin went to a both by the large front windows and sat on opposite sides in silence. Obi-Wan pulled out the lightsaber he'd been given and placed it between them on the table off to the side.

They were still sitting quietly, Obi-Wan stroking his beard and Anakin inspecting his fingernails when Dex came out with their food. The cook looked over the two somber faces and the weapon on the table.

"Oh no. I smell trouble a-brewin'. Anything I should be worried about?" He asked. Obi-Wan gave him a look that said, your guess is as good as mine, while Anakin remained downcast and silent. Dex just nodded, whiskers bristling. "Well you two stay as long as you need, just lock up when you leave. I trust you can manage that."

"We will, Dex," Obi-Wan assured him, "Thank you."

"No need for thanks. I'd do it for any of my friends… well perhaps not any but most. Night Obi, Ani." The baslisk lumbered back to the kitchen and the sound of the back door closing followed soon after, leaving Anakin and Obi-Wan alone in the small diner. It seemed eerily bright with only the front lights on, the kitchen a dark hole behind them and the windows rising high and dark around them, reflecting back the empty booths and stools.

Obi-Wan nibbled at his food and waited for Anakin to start talking.

"Aren't you going to ask something?" Anakin finally spoke.

"I wouldn't have the slightest clue where to begin."

Anakin nodded despondently. He swallowed then began. Obi-Wan set aside his food giving his student his full attention.

"You remember when I was having dreams… about my mother?" Anakin asked.

"Yes."

"And they weren't dreams at all."

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, his words heavy.

"I went back to tattoine with Padme to save her."

"I know and you were too late."

Anakin shook his head. "I wasn't. I found her, tied to a rack, beaten and dying. I cut her down and she died, right there in my arms." Obi-Wan couldn't breath, trying not to imagine what that must have been like and yet feeling in the Force all around him the anguish his student was feeling as acutely as if it was his own. Anakin shook his head and looked away.

"She was so happy to see me in those last moments. She looked up at me and said I'd grown, that she was proud of me… and then she died." Obi-Wan felt dread in his stomach even before Anakin went on. "And so I—I killed them. All of them. The whole camp of murdering vile filth like they were animals." Anakin's shoulders were shuddering. "And I didn't feel guilty. I didn't feel anything but anger because she was dead."

Obi-Wan's hands were shaking and sweaty. The lightsaber on his belt was suddenly too heavy. He didn't think he could have lifted it if he'd needed to.

"You were right," Anakin said, his voice hopeless and filled with grief. "You were always better than me and I was too stupidly selfish to see it. I killed them without thinking of her, I killed them in her name and it would have broken her heart. I turned her legacy into something filled with blood and death and…" Anakin just shook his head shoulders shaking. "I'm sorry, Obi-Wan. I failed you. I failed her. I have never been the Jedi you think I am and I never will be. That's why I can't stay, not because I love Padme but because… because I have broken the Code in way that is unforgivable. I'm sorry."

Obi-Wan sat back, mind reeling. Many thing suddenly made sense to him. Many of them were his own failures and they cut deeply, stabs of pain that jerked him back to the reality, sitting in silence across the laminate table from his crying apprentice.

"No, Anakin," He whispered into the stagnant silence, "I'm sorry."

"What?" Anakin raised his head, confused.

"I've failed you as a teacher. I was too young to be your Master and I realize that now. I should have seen your dreams for what they were instead of dismissing your powers. I did not want to admit just how strong you were with the Force, afraid that it would go to your head and in doing so I ignored your mother's need. Perhaps if I had not been blinded by my own judgments of you we could have saved her together. I failed you then and failed to prepare you for losing her as you did. I'm sorry, Anakin."

"You-you aren't angry?"

"Angry?" Obi-Wan tried to find words for the torrent of emotions that swept over him. "No. Saddened that you have had to bear this for so long, disappointed in myself and the Order that we allowed this and did not see it, worried for you, your wife and both of your futures… but no, Anakin, I am not angry."

Anakin could only stare and his Master, blinking.

"I don't think that leaving the Order is the right response though," Obi-Wan said at length.

"H-How can you say that? I have dishonored the code—"

"Leaving the Order won't change that. It won't ease the guilt you feel, and it won't make you into someone else." Obi-Wan shook his head. "Anakin, you are proof that the Council and the Order has gone astray. I believe that now more than ever." Obi-Wan sighed and looked over at Anakin's lightsaber, lying inauspiciously on the table between shakers and plastic menus.

"I promised I would stand my your decision, no mater what you chose and I will. What you have said tonight, like your relationship with Padme will remain between us unless you wish otherwise." Obi-Wan pushed away his plate of half eaten food. He stood, stiff and weary.

"I think you can change the Order," Obi-Wan said to the empty Diner, "I believe Qui-Gon was right, you are the Chosen One and one way or another you will bring balance to the Force, which means that the Jedi will have to change." He put a hand on Anakin's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "If you still want to leave the Order tomorrow morning, leave your lightsaber outside my door and I will tell the Council."

Obi-Wan walked with heavy feet to the door. It was then his turn to pause, turn back and say with a heavy heart, bitter with remorse, "I'm so sorry, Anakin." The bell above the door jingled with a dissonantly cheerful noise and Obi-Wan was gone.

* * *

_Conversation III (and a half): A Kiss_

"Obi-Wan are you listening to me?" Satine asked as they strode between the soaring pillars of the Senate building.

"What?" the Jedi's head jerked at his name and he looked up at her quickly, "I'm sorry Satine."

The blonde woman smiled serenely, "You've been distracted all morning. Will you tell me what's wrong or brush it off as the war again?" She asked, perceptive blue eyes never leaving his.

Obi-Wan's resistance crumbled. "It's nothing," he said at first, the lie apparent. "Alright, it's Anakin, and the Council, and… They just have me thinking…" the words tumbled out, "what if… what if everything that I have dedicated my life to is wrong?"

"Obi-Wan," Satine breathed, her brow furrowed in worry. But he had to go on now that he'd started.

"What if we were better off committing ourselves to our love instead of locking away our hearts and returning to our perceived duties?" He said, eyes on her. They had come to a stop, standing in the grand walkway, dwarfed by the architecture.

"Do you really think that Obi-Wan?" She asked, voice sounding small, "Do you really believe you have wasted your life in service to the Jedi Order?"

"No," Obi-Wan shook his head, thinking of the faces of the Togrutan colonists he'd help save from slavery, "not entirely. I'm just starting to see that the Council are wrong more often then I was willing to believe."

"Everything will change, Obi-Wan, over time." Her voice held a bitter reminder that the former Duchess knew this from experience.

"Yes," he agreed. "But change is never easy, we more than others know that."

"All too well," She nodded.

"My apologies for burdening you with this, you have your own problems to worry about." He straightened his shoulders, adopting his usual formal demeanor again.

"Not at all," She shook her head, short blond hair twisting around her ears in the movement. "That was the closest you've ever come to saying you loved me, Obi. You never need apologize for that." There was a small but beautiful smile on her lips that reached his heart past the locks he'd placed around it.

Silently Obi-Wan took her hand and bent to place a kiss to the back of her fingertips. She felt the warmth of his lips and his beard bristling against her skin. The moment was small and personal even in the large public space. In a moment she would have to be the deposed Duchess again, advocating for a people that no longer recognized her but for now she was the young woman in love looking into the eyes of the young man who might one day love her too.

"I will leave you to your duties," Obi-Wan said as he let her hand slip away. "It was a pleasure walking with you, Lady Satine."

"Thank you, General Kenobi." She nodded to him and turned away, that small smile still tugging at her lips.


	4. Conversation iv

Author's Note: Ok so this conversation is my AU rewrite of a scene in Episode III after Anakin is appointed to the Council but they refuse to make him a Master. I've changed a few things, the circumstances of Dooku's death being the largest. Padme is pregnant, Anakin's already dreaming of her death, Windu is being an asshole so in other words his usual self and Anakin still wants to be a Master even if he was humbled a little by his late night talk with Obi-Wan in Dex's Diner.

* * *

_Conversation IV: Trust_

"It still doesn't make sense to me," Obi-Wan said as they walked through the halls of the temple. "Dooku's attack on Palpatine after you had beaten him would only have ended with his death. Even if you would not kill an unarmed opponent if he attacked Palpatine he gave you no choice. I don't know what else he was hoping to accomplish."

"I don't know if he was really thinking straight, Master," Anakin noted.

"It still doesn't sit right with me. Something is wrong here."

"I agree." Anakin sounded bitter.

"You're upset," Obi-Wan turned his perceptive gaze on his student."

"It's just… unfair, to put me on the council and not make me a Master."

"Anakin, you know they will in time."

"Yes but… it just seems…"

"Unfair," Obi-Wan repeated for his student.

"Prejudiced. They're scared of me. I'm more powerful than any of them but they still treat me like an errant padewan."

"They are scared of change. They can feel it, in the Republic and in the Jedi Order. You're part of that change and so is the Chancellor for better or worse."

"What are you saying, Master?"

"I told you before that relations between the Chancellor and the Council are rough, his appointment of you isn't doing anything to smooth them over.

"I swear, Master I did not ask to be put on the Council."

"No. You would never abuse your friendships in that way, I know that. But the Council doesn't trust him."

"Doesn't trust him? Then why approve my appointment?"

Obi-Wan sighed and looked down.

"Anakin, you should know I did not agree with this and there are more on the Council I think who are on our side but…"

"But what?"

"Well, you will soon see that there are few voices in the Council."

"Master?"

Obi-Wan turned away and kept walking. "The only reason the Council approved your appointment is because the Chancellor trusts you. They… they have asked me to give you a mission."

"Why did they not give it to me themselves a moment ago?"

"Because they don't want it on record?"

"Why?"

"Because, Anakin, it's treason for one and for another they're asking you to break the Code."

"Master? How can the Council ask that of any Jedi?"

"They shouldn't." Obi-Wan responded, his voice tinged with frustration, a crack in his usual calm. Coming to a stop Obi-Wan looked out over the Coruscant skyline.

"They want you to report back to them on all of the Chancellor's dealings."

"They want me to spy on the Chancellor? They're asking me to betray the Republic, betray a mentor and a friend? Why?"

"The Order's loyalty is to the Senate, not the Chancellor who has managed to maintain power long after his term and far outside of his mandate."

"The Chancellor is not a bad man, he only want to bring this war to a swift end. I can not do what the Council has asked of me."

"I'm sorry, Anakin."

"You agree with them." Anakin accused.

"No, but something doesn't feel right, search your feeling and you will sense it too. Even though I know that, if we put our morals in jeopardy this time what will stop us from doing it again. This Order and the Council will fall to corruption just as the Senate has."

"Master! They would remove you from the Council if they heard you talking like that."

"Yes, but they wouldn't remove you," Obi-Wan pointed out bitterly. "They need your connection to Palpatine and you're the most powerful Jedi they have." He shook his head. "Something has to change. The traditional oath of the Council called for the temple to be a place of 'open speech' yet suggestions of change are treated as immaturity and insolence. The 'noble purpose' we were once dedicated to his been forgotten in our militarism. The oath says 'let us take these seats together, with no one about the others. May we work together, free from the restraints of ego and jealousy…' Yet the Council is now ruled by a few strong voices who have become arrogant in their power while others, yourself included, covet those positions. We have become an army that follows orders as blindly as the clones we take charge of. It's wrong but I just don't see what can be done while this war continues."

"The war will end. The Chancellor will see to that."

"I hope you're right." Obi-Wan looked his apprentice over worriedly. "But there's something else bothering you."

"No, Master."

"Anakin."

"It's nothing."

"Please don't make me your enemy, Anakin. I have enough enemies already."

"Never, Master. Sometime I feel like you're my only ally."

"Now there's a terrifying prospect. I admit we make a formidable team but I would hate to face the Chancellor and the Council alone, just the two of us."

"You have such little faith in my abilities."

"I didn't say I wouldn't do it." They left on amiable terms though dark clouds loomed in their minds and a sense of foreboding that neither could ignore.


	5. Conversation v

_Conversation V: Duty to a Friend_

"Obi-Wan," Padme said in surprise as she opened the door, hunching forward reactively over her swelling belly. She didn't think he would notice though her draping robes. "Are you looking for Ani?"

"No," Obi-Wan shook his head and frowned. "I was hoping Satine was here."

"Oh," Padme glanced at the open doors of the guest room. "No she's not."

"Do you mind if I wait for her?" Obi-Wan asked. Padme's mouth went dry.

"No," she heard herself say. "It's alright. Come in. Is something wrong?"

"Yes, have you been watching the hollonet?" He asked, walking past her into the high, airy apartment lit by the late afternoon sun.

"No. I haven't."

"Well, don't." Obi-Wan said, his voice was more bitter and angry then she'd ever heard the usually calm Jedi. "After Satine's last speech in the Senate they were _anonymously _informed that her sister was involved in the splinter group of Death Watch that started this Civil War."

"The media will _crucify_ her!" Padme quickly forgot her own troubles. She hurried across the room to the couch and turned on the hollo projector. The small distorted voices of the news anchors buzzed in the air like a swarm of hornets repeating the name Kryze and Mandalore over and over. After only a few moments Padme had to turn it off. She put a hand over her mouth and shook her head.

"This is awful."

"To be honest," Obi-Wan said for where he stood by the large open veranda, "we should have expected it. There's nothing we can do about it now."

"But this almost surely destroys any chance of Satine getting aid from the Senate, it's too easily swayed by appearances."

"And the voice of the Chancellor. She was never going to get anywhere without his support and she didn't have that to begin with."

"The Senate is more than just one man," Padme advocated though her voice lacked the conviction that had made her such a respected Senator. Obi-Wan only looked at her pityingly.

"Will you talk to the Council?" She asked but he was already shaking his head.

"They will not hear the matter again," he said softly.

"That's terrible. What will she do?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm here."

"She'll be happy that you came," Padme said with a small sad smile. Obi-Wan was watching her curiously and she blushed, the robe had not been enough.

"Forgive me, Senator but…" Obi-Wan shifted anxiously, "… are you pregnant?"

Padme pressed her lips together into a thin line and nodded.

"My congratulations to both of you," He said joyfully and she stopped resisting the grin that spread over her face. "How long?"

"You and Anakin were away for nearly four months," She reminded him.

"So we were. I wonder why Anakin didn't tell me?" Obi-Wan thought back to their conversation after the Council session, in his friend's defense he realized they had more important things to talk about. Just thinking about what the Council had asked of Anakin and of him upset his inner peace. It worried him, more and more, he was failing to maintain that careful balance. Padme also seemed worried, she was looking away and biting her lip.

"What is it?" Obi-Wan asked her.

"It's Ani, he said… we didn't need help but…"

"What? Padme, please, you know I would do everything in my power to help the both of you."

"Yes, I know." She nodded. "It's his dreams."

"Prophetic ones?"

"Yes, like the ones he used to have about his mother."

"Yes… he told me about them… and how she died."

"He did?"

"Yes… _all _of it."

"I didn't think he ever would. Your opinion means a lot to him."

"And I think no less of him. It took great courage for him to tell me. I will not say I was not disappointed but it was as much with myself as it was with him. It was the council and myself who failed to recognize his abilities and prepare him. We are as much to blame as he is. But you said he was having dreams again, similar ones?"

"Yes… about me. He… he believes that I will die in childbirth." Padme was putting on a brave face, her expression carefully neutral but looking deeper with the Force Obi-Wan could sense she was frightened by Anakin's dreams and saw them as inevitable. "I'm just worried about what will happen to him… to our child…if he's right."

"Padme, the future is always in flux. Anakin may only be seeing one possible future, do not give up hope." Obi-Wan crossed the room to sit beside her. "Have you told him about your fears?"

"Fears that he's right?" She asked in shock at the proposal, "No. It would only burden him."

"And what of your fears of what might happen if he loses you, to him and to his child, your child?" Obi-Wan asked. Padme just looked at him with large dark eyes tearing up at the dark unbidden thoughts. Behind them a soft beep and a hiss preceded the doors opening and Satine's return.

She walked in dressed in regal deep blue, eyes circled with shadows and hands clasped before her. She looked up at the two of them and her thin pale brows pulled together in worry.

"Satine," Obi-Wan said, standing, "how are you?"

"I feel better than both of you look," She replied, approaching them, eyes on Padme's hunched shoulders and watery eyes. "What is wrong?" She became suddenly fearful. "Is it the baby?"

"No," Padme said with a wave of her hand, "it's nothing."

"It is certainly _not_ nothing," Obi-Wan replied curtly.

"Then what is it?" Satine demanded.

"Anakin has been having visions of Padme dying in childbirth."

"Visions? I though Jedi predicting the future was a myth."

"No, not exactly. Some powerful Jedi, Jedi like Anakin have been know to see visions of possible futures, he's done it before."

"But surely…" Satine's gaze fell from Obi-Wan to Padme as she trailed off. "What can we do?"

"There isn't much we can do unless we know _why_ Padme is going to die in childbirth."

"Please stop saying that," the young mother begged, her voice wet with unshed tears. "I… I don't want to think about such things." She turned away.

Satine dropped quickly to the couch beside her friend and wrapped a comforting arm around the shorter woman.

"We should take you to a doctor," Satine said.

"No. They'll ask about the father and I can't…" Padme looked quickly between them, "I can't do that to Ani." Satine looked up at Obi-Wan, her eyes two chips of blue glass, hard and sharp. Then she smiled, satisfied with herself for whatever it was that struck her. Obi-Wan was simply thankful to avoid the tears he'd expected to find in the Senator's apartment.

"We'll put all the paperwork under my name," Satine said resolutely.

"What?" Padme gasped.

"We simply pass you for me and place all of the necessary paperwork under my name."

"But we don't even look alike?" Padme protested.

"We'll go somewhere safe, where we can control the information. I'll take you to my brother on Kalevala. Our family doctor there will be able to give you the best of care and there will be no record of it here in Coruscant. We can record the father as one of my former aids on Mandalore, I was there about five months ago. I know you had wanted to have the baby back on Naboo…"

"No, no," Padme cut off her friend. "It's fine. It's… a relief actually but… Satine, are you sure? You'd be giving up your duty here and it might lead to awkward questions later."

Satine tossed back her head of blond curls in a regal dismissal. "It has been clearly proven to me that I will get nothing accomplished by waving my lips at this congregation of deaf charlatans. Now that my name has been made synonymous with a former Death Watch sympathizer there is nothing more I can do for my people here." Less formally she said, "Your kindness has been one of the only things that has kept me going this long, Padme, and I would be a poor friend if I did not help you when you needed me most."

"Thank you, Satine."

"I approve of this plan," Obi-Wan said, feeling forgotten by the women, "but who's going to tell Anakin?"


	6. Conversation vi

Author's Note: This conversation is my AU rewrite of a scene in Episode III just after Obi-Wan has been sent after Grievous and Anakin is being left behind, big mistake that was.

* * *

_Conversation VI: My Young Padewan No More_

"You're going to need me on this one, Master." Anakin said as he walked Obi-Wan to the waiting Star Cruiser. He itched to follow. After so many close calls with Grievous it was infuriating that he could not be there to see his end. Anakin didn't dare to think what might happen if Obi-Wan failed, Grievous had been responsible for the deaths of far too many Jedi already.

"Oh I agree," Obi-Wan said, surprisingly relaxed given the circumstances. "However, it may turn out to be a wild bantha chase. We've been led on those before." Obi-Wan started down the ramp toward the docked cruiser emblazoned with the crest of the Open Circle Fleet. Something tugged in Anakin's chest, a sense of foreboding that made him pay close attention to how the sunlight fell and the last twinkle of humor in Obi-Wan's eyes before he turned away. It was like he was memorizing the moment because it would be the last time they were together. Anakin's mouth went try.

"Master!" He called out and Obi-Wan stopped looking back curiously.

"Is something wrong?"

"I…"

"Is this about Padme?"

"No, no, but now that you mention it…" Anakin looked away, jaw tense and hands fidgeting with his robe. "My dreams have changed."

"Do you think we've changed the future?"

"I—I don't know. She's still… screaming but…" Anakin's face twisted with raw emotions that frightened Obi-Wan, jealousy and anger as well as fear warred on his young apprentice's face. "She's no longer screaming my name."

"Do you know what that means?"

"No," Anakin shook his head.

"They should be arriving on Kalevala in a mater of hours, rest assured she's being well cared for. In the mean time, we should focus on ending this war and securing a safer future for your son."

"You and Padme still think it's a boy," Anakin said, a hint of his old humor coming back and allowing him, if only momentarily, to put aside his darker thoughts, "I still think it will be a girl."

"Oh well, it never pays to bet against you," Obi-Wan said with a smile and again turned to leave.

"Obi-Wan," Anakin stopped him for the second time, "I know I've disappointed you and been… unappreciative of your training in the past. I've been arrogant and I apologize." The words were sincere even if they were immediately undercut. "I've just been so frustrated with the Council. Through it all, your friendship means everything to me."

"You are strong and wise, Anakin," Obi-Wan was somber and sincere, "and I am very proud of you, never doubt that. I have trained you since you were a small boy. I have taught you everything I know and watched you grow. I'm not hesitant to admit that you have become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be. The Council and the Order has failed you, and many more like you. For that I am sorry. As unfair though it may be, it falls to the younger generations to mend the errors of their elders. I have faith in you, my friend. And be patient, it won't be long before the Council makes you a Jedi Master. They will have to accept change eventually." Obi-Wan smiled at Anakin conspiratorially and started back down the ramp toward his waiting Cruiser. Stopping half way he looked back with a grin.

"If you're only saying those things because you think I'll die out there, don't worry. I have more than enough clones to take two systems the size of Utapau. Even without your help, I would be hard pressed to fail."

"Master," Anakin called, for the last time. "May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you, old friend." Obi-Wan turned to make the customary bow. Anakin watched him go with a smile, the nagging dread still tugging at his chest.


	7. Conversation vii

_Conversation VII: The Sith's Apprentice_

It was like a scene from a nightmare, the Chancellor revealed as the Sith Lord fought Windu with relentless furry. Anakin ran into the office just in time to see the Sith's red saber flicked out to the perilous drop outside the shattered window. His blood ran cold as Windu leveled his lightsaber at the fallen Chancellor.

"You are under arrest, my Lord," Windu said menacingly, furry just under the surface of his words.

"Anakin! I told you it would come to this. I was right. The Jedi are taking over." Palpatine begged with his eyes for Anakin to understand.

"You old fool," Windu chastised, arrogance twisting his face, "The oppression of the Sith will never return. Your plot to regain control of the Republic is over." With a contemptuously victorious smirk he said, "you have lost."

"No! No!" The Chancellor yelled denials. "You will die!" From his fingers Force-lightning arched across the window. Mace barely managed to raise is light saber in time to take the terrible power of the attack.

"He is a traitor, Anakin," Palpatine cried.

"He's the traitor! Stop him!" Mace growled through gritted teeth.

"Come to your senses, boy. The Jedi are in revolt. They will betray you, just as they betrayed me."

Just as they betrayed Ahsoka, Anakin couldn't help but think, the image of his lost padawan springing to his mind. Master Windu's screams tore the air of the windy office.

"You are not one of them, Anakin. Don't let him kill me," Palpatin begged even as Windu screamed. "I am your pathway to power. I have the power to save the one you love. You must choose. You must stop him."

"Don't listen to him, Anakin," Mace ordered even as he fought the deadly lightning.

"Help me! Don't let him kill me," Palpatine's wide eyes were intent on Anakin, "I can't hold on any longer." The lightning faltered and failed leaving steam rising from Palpatine's disfigured body and Windu's lightsaber.

"You Sith disease. I am going to end this once and for all." Windu raged, consumed by his anger.

"You can't kill him, Master. He must stand trial." Anakin felt panic gripping his hear as he looked at Windu, seeing a reflection of his own anger. Just as he had fought the beast that killed his only family Windu was taking revenge for his family, the Jedi who were lost to the pointless and terrible war.

"He has too much control of the Senate and the Courts," Windu justified desperately, hands tensing as they gripped his lightsaber. "He is too dangerous to be kept alive." Beneath him the traitorous Sith begged and pleaded in his croaking voice.

"It is not the Jedi way," Anakin insisted. "He must live…" he hasn't told me how to save Padme yet, Anakin thought selfishly. The Sith begged and begged even as Windu raised his lightsaber, eyes blind with fury.

"I need him! Master don't!" Anakin cried. "NO." With a shout he interceded, his own blue saber flashing up and severed Windu's hands from his wrists. There was a moment of stunned silence in which Windu gasped, staring dumbly at where his hands had been then raising his eyes to the young master who had attacked him, not comprehending. Then the Sith laughed triumphantly.

Anakin had to shut his eyes against the flash of the Sith's Force-lightning as it threw Windu backward, over the ledge of the window and out into the windswept heights of Coruscant. His screams faded and were snatched away before his body ever found solid resting ground. Anakin stared on at the expanse of Coruscant.

"What have I done?" He asked himself. He wanted to puke. Instead he just fell to his knees and stared out the broken window. He remembered Rex, and the haunted look in his Clone Captain's eyes after Umbara, the look of a man who'd killed his brothers. Anakin hadn't understood at the time.

"You are fulfilling your destiny, Anakin." Palpatine stood slowly, moving painfully to his chair where a dark hooded rob hung. "Become my apprentice. Learn to use the dark side of the Force."

"I will do whatever you ask," Anakin said brokenly. He'd killed a member of the Council, the Jedi Order would never take him back. There was nothing left but to follow the path laid before his feet, the path that might save Padme.

"Good," Palpatine's disfigured face twisted into a mockery of a smile.

Anakin begged, "Just help me save Padme…" But his voice trailed off as he remembered, laying in bed the last time he held her in his arms, feeling her breathing and the vital life moving in her. He could feel the small movements of the baby under his flesh hand as it cradled her belly, his baby, their baby…

_"__I'm scared, Ani."_

_"__There's nothing to be afraid of, Angel. I'll protect you. I won't let you die, I promise. I promise," He repeated into her hair. Her smell surrounded him and the warmth of their bedroom was comforting after many long nights in cold Star Cruisers. _

_"__That's not what I'm afraid of." Her words surprised him and he fell still. Padme sensed his confusion and rolled over to look him in the eye. "Anakin, I'm worried about you."_

_"__I'm fine Angel. You shouldn't have to think about me, just you and the baby."_

_"__No, Ani. I'm worried that…" her brown eyes glimmered, "if your visions do come true what will happen to you? To the baby?"_

_"__They won't." He said firmly._

_"__Anakin, please," She whispered, voice close to breaking, "please, promise me that if anything happened to me you would…you would stay the same."_

_"__Padme," he breathed her name like a prayer._

_"__Promise me. I love you, this man that you are right here, right now. But I'm terrified that this war and… and my death might… kill you, turn you into someone that I don't recognize. Ani, that would break my heart." Tears spilled over her wide eyes and rolled over the bridge of her nose. _

_"__Padme, shhhh," He had held her close and ran his fingers through her curls. "I promise. I promise." He'd whispered it over and over until she had no more tears and drifted into sleep. _

That was the night he'd dreamed of her screams again but they were different. Before she'd screamed his name, called to him, whispered her love for him. Now she cried, _"Luke, Luke… No! Don't take him from me. No!" _Those cries, heartbreaking and desperate, were stronger and motivated, motivated to live and fight… for what Anakin didn't know. They were not the heart broken and dying pleas of his earlier nightmares.

"To cheat death is a power only one has achieved," Palpatine talked as Anakin drifted back and forth in his memories, "but if we work together, I know we can discover the secret. The Force is strong with you. A powerful Sith you will become. Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth… Vader. Yes… kneel." Anakin responded automatically to the command and fell to his knees, head bent.

"I have a task for you, my new apprentice," the Sith said in his croaking whispery voice that almost cackled with excitement. "When the Jedi learn what has transpired here, they will kill us, along with all the Senators. Every single Jedi, including your friend Obi-Wan Kenobi, is now an enemy of the Republic. You understand that, don't you?"

"Master," Anakin whispered. That dread that had tugged in his chest at Obi-Wan's departure was now an anchor that dragged toward the planet's core.

"We must move quickly. The Jedi are relentless; if they are not all destroyed, it will be civil war without end." Palpatine went on, "First, I want you to go to the Jedi Temple. We will catch them off balance. Do what must be done, Lord Vader." Anakin's head shot up as he realized what was being asked of him. The Sith's back was to the younger man as he spoke, "Do not hesitate. Show no mercy. Only then will you be strong enough with the dark side to save Padme."

So I must kill my allies, my family,_ younglings_ in Padme's name to save her. What will I be then? Anakin thought. She was right to worry, he realized. If I do this she will never accept it and if I don't she will die. I cannot win. I will loose her…

"No." He whispered.

"What?" Sidious turned to see Anakin's unfocused gaze snap up to his yellow eyes.

"No!" Anakin gave a terrible cry and jumped to his feet. His lightsaber flashed at the Chancellor.

"Fool!" A red beam appeared and blocked the vicious attack. "You should have listened," the Sith warned.

"I will never fall to the Dark Side, I will never betray Padme!" Anakin growled.

"So be it," the Sith's yellow eyes narrowed, "you will both die!"

Sideous broke their locked sabers and pushed Anakin back, he attacked relentlessly and with a furry that Anakin could not combat. The younger man gave ground and his blocks became sloppy in desperation. He knew after just the first strokes his violent Ataru style would never be able to protect him and he could not match the ferocity of the Sith. His heart plummeted as his footing faltered.

The Sith's blade swept downward and with a sickening slice and the smell of burning flesh Anakin's right leg was severed just above the knee and he fell backward to the floor beside the window, losing his grip on his lightsaber and crying out in primal pain and fear.

Tears stung his eyes as Anakin lay moaning on the floor on Palpatine's office.

"You should have joined me, _boy_. You should have done as I asked and we might have saved your pretty little whore."

It was all Anakin could do to force his lungs to keep breathing past the pain.

"We could have ruled this Gallaxy together, we could have brought it to peace," The Sith sneered. "Oh well, you'll never see that day." The Sith raised his blade and brought it down in a vicious stab. Anakin only just managed to roll out of the way but the blade cut a deep gash along his side and back causing him to cry out again and curl in on himself.

"You might not live," Palpatine said smoothly, "but your child will. If I cannot have you as my apprentice then I will find another, that child is destined to be strong in the force. He will make a fine replacement for his foolish father!"

Sidious turned his back on the dying figure, crumpled on the floor. He didn't see the comm device in Anakin's hand or hear the hushed instructions that were no more than gasps.

"Arrtoo… bring ship… here…"

Sidious turned at the beeping reply from the droid echoing from the comm speaker. He saw Anakin rolling over. There was a hateful look on the Jedi's face as his eyes caught the Chancellors, a look that said, over my dead body. And then Anakin was gone.

He disappeared over the lip of the window.

"NO!" Palpatine screamed and ran to the ledge, looking down to see the maimed figure caught from the terrible fall by the bright yellow Jedi starcruiser and whisked away from his tower. The Sith shook with rage, rage at the infernal interfering woman, rage at the pompous self-indulging Kenobi, rage at the headstrong boy who didn't know what was good for him. He fumbled with his comm, "Captain! Get a shuttle ready, take me to Kalevala."

* * *

Author's Note: And this is where the conversations end. This continuity continues though! Check out my author's page for the sequel.


	8. Epilogue

Author's Note: THE SEQUEL IS HERE! Or not here but on my authors page. **Remnants** is the sequel to both Only Words and The Expelled. It picks up right at the end of this story with Ahsoka and Padme. Comments, concerns, suggestions, random drug induced epiphanies: leave them in a review. Hope you like it. -Ember.

P.S. since we're technically not supposed to have whole chapters of just author's notes you get an epilogue thingy.

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Epilogue: Echos

Across the galaxy, Force sensitive children cried out in their sleep. Mothers and fathers ran to comfort them in futility. Shivers ran down the spines of any sensitive enough to feel the waves of Death, the shudders of the Force as voids opened up within it. A Bounty Hunter with a mild sensitivity missed his aim for the first time in years. A painter spilled her paints across the half finished canvas. A mother shuddered and held her child to her chest. A young girl in school jumped out of her chair and stood staring at the ceiling, crying silently. Younglings in the temple shared frightened looks as they sat in their beds and silently huddled together, seeking comfort in each-other's presence. Asajj Ventress in a dirty cantina deep in Coruscant's underbelly dropped her drink and her mouth went dry. She shivered and looked around warily. Time to leave, she thought to herself, time to disappear again for a very long time.

On Utapau, Obi-Wan felt a familiar presence in the unsettling waves of the Living Force just before the rocks under his lizard exploded under Clone munitions fire. It was the surge of despair and loss that pulled his breath away just before the fall, not the jerking sensation of gravity taking hold of him in empty space.

On Mygeeto, charging between the craters under heavy fire Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi felt the ripples, echoes of screams and pleas. He stopped, standing on a battlefield and felt suddenly very alone. He turned to look back at his men, who had protected his back for so long and how he stared down the barrels of their guns. He despaired and his despair added new ripples to the Force.

On Felucia Ayala Secura felt the barest brush of what was to come before Commander Bly's blaster bolt hit her back. The pain was short and she died quickly, the Force of her life becoming part of the Cosmic Force but leaving a void in the Living Force where it plunged inward like a dying star. Bly kept firing, even though his vision blurred, even as the tears rolled down his face. No one would ever see them but his anguish and guilt left ripples in the Force just the same.

On Saleucami Stass Allie felt nothing before Commander Neyo and CT-3423 shot down her speeder, only the ground as it came up to meet her. On Cato Neimoidia, Plo Koon in his Jedi starfighter felt the waves in the Force and reached out to see who was in pain, trying to help just before he was engulfed in flames.

On Kashyyyk, walking between the beds of wounded or dying Clones and Wookies, Luminara Unduli felt the death around her. She paused in surprise to hear it echoed in the Force from far away. She was still frozen in worry and confusion when her troopers turned their blasters on her. She didn't even have a moment to raise her hands.

On Shili Ahsoka Tano was laughing. She was sitting across from Rex in a Togrutan restaurant with a bright green drink joking. Then suddenly she was gasping, falling forward, knocking over cups and stumbling to her feet. She collapsed on the floor, mouth open in a silent scream and eyes wide. "Master," she whispered not hearing her name called in the background, not feeling the hands on her shoulders. She was miles away.

In his starfighter, rocketing through hyperspace toward Kalevala, Anakin lay back in his seat, dry tear tracks on his cheeks but there were no tears left. He pressed the heels of his hands over his eyes and tried not to see the murders, tried not to see Clones turning on their Generals, tried not to hear the screams. But he felt every death. Across the Galaxy he felt the family that had taken him from slavery disappearing one my one like candles blown out and the smoke lingering heavy in the air, pungent and suffocating. He couldn't breath. He was numb even to the pain of the leg that was no longer there, the gash in his side that was bleeding, dripping down and pooling in the cockpit and under his feet. Anakin, wrapped tightly in the Force screamed his anguish and the Force screamed with him in the ears of hundreds of children, the ears of every Jedi fighting for their lives, in the ears of the younglings as the 501st shot them down in their training rooms and in their beds, in ears of his wife…

Padme gasped for breath and the book in her hands fell with a _tump_ to the tiled floor. Satine lifted her head and turned.

"Padme? Is something wrong?"

The Senator was pale and sweat quickly broke out on her forehead. She swayed on her feet, gripping her swollen belly and biting her lip, eyes wide, terrified.

_"__The baby… the babies… it's too soon." _She whispered.


End file.
